Mahavira

Mahāvīra, also known as Vardhamāna, was the twenty-fourth and last tirthankara. In Jainism, a tirthankara (maker of the river crossing) is an omniscient teacher who preaches the dharma (righteous path) and builds a ford across the ocean of rebirth and transmigration. Twenty-four tirthankara grace each half of the cosmic time cycle. Mahāvīra was the last tirthankara of avasarpani (present descending phase). Mahavira was born into a royal family in what is now Bihar, India. At the age of 30, he left his home in pursuit of spiritual awakening. He abandoned all the worldly things including his clothes and became a Jain monk. For the next twelve and a half years, he practiced intense meditation and severe penance, after which he became omniscient. He traveled all over South Asia for the next thirty years to teach Jain philosophy. Mahavira died at the age of 72 and attained nirvana (final release) or moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death). Mahavira's philosophy has eight cardinal (law of trust) principles, three metaphysical (dravya, jiva and ajiva), and five ethical. The objective is to elevate the quality of life.

Babita Kumari

Babita Kumari (born November 20, 1989) is an Indian female wrestler, who won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She also won a bronze medal at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships, and won the gold medal in 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Babita is currently supported by JSW Sport under the Sports Excellence Programme.

Personal life and family

She is the sister of India's first gold medallist in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games, Geeta Phogat. Babita is the daughter of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat. Babita has a cousin Vinesh Phogat who won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Babita, along with her sister and cousin, have contributed to a change in mindset and attitude towards girls and women in their village in Haryana.

Career

2009 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship

In the tournament in Jalandhar, Punjab, Babita won the gold medal in the women's freestyle 51 kg category.

2010 Commonwealth Games

Babita won the silver medal in the women's freestyle 51 kg category after being defeated by Ifeoma Christi Nwoye of Nigeria in the gold medal match.

Geeta Phogat

Geeta Phogat is a female wrestler from India who won India's first ever gold medal in women's wrestling in the 55 kg freestyle category at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She is also the first-ever Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for the Olympics.

She is currently sponsored by JSW Sport under the Sports Excellence Programme.

Personal life and family

She comes from a Hindu Jat family of Balali village in Bhiwani district, Haryana. Her father Mahavir Singh, a former wrestler himself, is also her coach.

Her sister Babita Kumari and her cousin Vinesh Phogat are also Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

Career

2009 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship

Geeta won the Gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship held in Jalandhar, Punjab between December 19 and 21, 2009.

2010 Commonwealth Games

She won India’s first ever gold medal in women’s wrestling at the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi beating Emily Bensted from Australia in the gold medal match.

2012 Olympics

Phogat won a gold medal in the Wrestling FILA Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament that concluded at Almaty, Kazakhstan in April 2012. She has undergone rigorous training at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, (NSNIS), Patiala, under the guidance of chief coach O.P. Yadav and foreign expert Ryan Dobo.

Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan (pronounced [ˈaːmɪr ˈxaːn]; born Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan on 14 March 1965) is an Indian film actor, director and producer. Through his successful career in Hindi films, Khan has established himself as one of the most popular and influential actors of Indian cinema. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including four National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards. He was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010.

Khan first appeared on screen as a child actor in his uncle Nasir Hussain's film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973). His first feature film role came with the experimental film Holi (1984), and he began a full-time acting career with a leading role in the highly successful tragic romance Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). His performance in the film and in the thriller Raakh (1989) earned him a Special Mention at the National Film Award ceremony. He established himself as a leading actor of Hindi cinema in the 1990s by appearing in several commercially successful films, including the romantic drama Dil (1990), the romance Raja Hindustani (1996), for which he won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor, and the drama Sarfarosh (1999). He was also noted for playing against type in the critically acclaimed Canadian-Indian film Earth (1998).

Mahavir Singh Phogat

Mahavi Singh Phogat is an Indian male professional wrestler and senior Olympics coach. Phogat is currently being nominated for the Dronacharya Award by the Wrestling Federation of India. He is the father, and coach of Geeta Phogat, who won India's first ever gold medal in women's wrestling in the 55 kg freestyle category at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and the first-ever Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for the Olympics, and Babita Kumari, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships, and won the gold medal in 2014 Commonwealth Games. Phogat's nephew Vinesh Phogat is also Commonwealth Games gold medalist.

Early life

Phogat comes from a Hindu Jat family, he was born in Balali village in Bhiwani district, Haryana.

Popular culture

Indian biographical film Dangal is based on Singh's life and his daughter's journey towards success.

References